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'The community has suffered a terrible tragedy and we are only starting to grasp the reality,' chief says

Three-month-old Kiyas Antone was one of four children killed in a house fire on the Oneida reserve Wednesday morning. (GoFundMe)

A father and four of his children, including an infant son, died in a house fire on the Oneida reserve near London, Ont., Wednesday morning.

An emotional Kristen Ireland confirmed to CBC News that her brother, Kurt Antone, and four of his sons, died in the blaze.

"They were amazing, they were the most precious things you could have in your life," she said.

Kristen Ireland confirmed to CBC News that her brother, Kurt Antone, and his four sons, died in the house fire on the Oneida reserve. 0:33

The mother and the couple's oldest three children were not home at the time of the fire.

The Oneida Nation of the Thames community — a reserve of about 2,000 people a half-hour drive west of London — is in shock by the loss, Chief Randall Phillips said at a news conference Thursday afternoon.

"The community has suffered a terrible tragedy and we are only starting to grasp the reality of what has happened," Phillips said. "This loss is tremendous is a community such as ours."